Friday, February 6, 2009

Christian Communism Your Place of Safety

Below I've reproduced two chapters -- “Early Christianity: Religion of the Oppressed” and “Christian Communism” -- from Crises in European History, by Dr. Gustav Bang, a Marxist historian. The booklet first appeared serially in the Daily People, a daily newspaper published in the United States by the Socialist Labor Party, in 1909-10.

Before I became a believer, I studied Marxism. I was convinced for a time that communism without more was the answer to poverty, injustice, violence, and other social problems. I diligently studied all the socialist literature I could obtain -- especially whatever the Socialist Labor Party put out I was capable of purchasing.

I still believe communism to be the answer, but the wisdom of the Bible must be made the governing ethos for it to really work. Communism with its foundation resting solidly on God's commandments and Christ's teachings will win the day once it's fully understood how such a system can bring about the perfect human character full of love mixed with the mercy desired by Christ (Matthew 5:7; 9:13; 12:7; 23:23; James 2:12-13) that will produce the ability of internalizing God's laws so well that punishment and the fear of it are no longer necessary. Ezekiel 11:19-20; Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 10:15-18; 1 John 4:18.

God's law and Christ's teachings are perfectly designed to support, reinforce, and enhance communal living. If they are taught under communal conditions using positive reinforcement techniques without punishment, it should produce a law that's fully internalized in the individual to such a degree that an external and hierarchical law enforcement apparatus utilizing after the fact punishment, as we have today, will not be needed. This will be a quantum leap in the evolution of law that's never before been seen in history.

Once perfect Christian character under God's law and Christ's teachings is achieved, man will be in the position to mercifully control the increasingly dangerous technologies, such as nanotechnology, artificial intelligence and robotics, as we advance towards the scientifically prophesied technological singularity, and be in the position to live out the greatly increased life spans these technologies will make possible as meaningless work, excessive stress, and unnecessary punishment become a thing of the past. Perfect Christian character will also provide the strength and motivation needed to practice calorie restricted diets, intermittent fasting, and veganism which will always play a necessary part of any extended lifespan.

Once Christian communism is in place and there's no longer an exploiter and exploitee, human labor power will no longer be wasted on frivolous materialism and short sighted thrills as it is today. The full productive apparatus can then be harnessed to achieve real progress and a higher way of life without distraction.

I agree with Dr. Bang where he says:

"It was the communism of property and consumption, the communistic form of society which was the natural expression of the social longings of the ancient proletariat, and which in the first Christian congregations was not only proclaimed but practiced. It was as yet impossible to form a social ideal of productive socialism—the cooperative commonwealth—because the historical conditions for such an order of society were wholly lacking;"

"Very early, in the course of but a few decades, pure communism disappeared, as in the nature of things it had to, because the class interests which there found expression, those of the proletariat and petty bourgeoisie, had as yet no future before them."

Today, however, is another matter. The expected breakthroughs in science and technology should be sufficient to provide the conditions necessary to establish a Christian communist society that will endure. Christian communism can work and "a friendly Artificial Intelligence (AI)" created within its framework if the people prepare for it now. Science and technology needs Christian communism. Together the future is theirs.

You might well say Christian communism has been tried before but failed. This, however, is not true. What was tried was communism with its basis in some form of Catholic or Protestant doctrine that clearly misconstrued the true teachings of the Scriptures. Failure was inevitable under these circumstances. God would not commit His Holy Spirit to assist an endeavor of this sort. One only has to think of the monasteries under Roman Catholicism with monks on one side and nuns on the other. No procreation, no children, and no family life to prosper and flourish under communal conditions backed by Scripture.

My brethren quickly point out that Dr. Bang was in error to say that Ananias and Sapphira were killed because they withheld a part of their wealth when it was the lying to the Holy Spirit that was the real reason. Acts 5:1-10 (NIV). I have to agree the error is palpable. But, I must point out the obvious. Had Ananias been truthful with Peter and told him he desired the money for his own use Peter would have been obligated to bar him from taking part in the blessings of the early Christian Church as it was then developing under God's guidance. Ananias would not have been “one in heart and mind” with the rest of the believers and this would've prevented his participation with them. Acts 4:32. The early believers “shared everything.” None held anything back.

The early Christian Church in Acts renounced private property and shared everything on the basis of Christ's teaching that this was a necessary part of the process of becoming perfect. Matthew 19:21. The 12 disciples followed this practice as well. Verse 27. We must assume God intended the early Christian Church to be an example or role model for Christians today, and that He intends to revive it in the end times as the perfect way of life capable of providing a “place of safety” during the “great tribulation” prophesied to come on the world to test it. Revelation 3:10; 7:14-15.

I would also like to point out that Christian communism is not only for the poor as Dr. Bang says, but for the wealthy, who have eyes to see and ears to hear. The wealthy, who have the wisdom to see the utter necessity of Christian communism and the heart to sink their time and money into the early stages of its development, will be blessed by God and do well in my opinion. Robert Owen is an excellent example of a wealthy philanthropist who was initially successful at advocating and financing Utopian communistic experiments in the early 1800s. Because the social and technological conditions of the times were not ripe for communism to take hold and because Owen's lacked the necessary biblical insight into character development and the social problems of his day, he was not able to succeed on a large scale or establish a model of communal living that would endure. See, for example, The Development of Socialism From Utopia to Science, by Frederick Engels.

“Gustav Bang was born September 26, 1871, in a small provincial town in Denmark. He died on January 31, 1915. His father was a minister, who also acquired a considerable reputation as a historian, and it was from the father that young Bang imbibed his love of history.”

It's my belief, Dr. Bang learned something of the Bible from his father as well. It's my hope you learn as much from Dr. Bang as I did.

************************************************EARLY CHRISTIANITY: RELIGION OF THE OPPRESSED

We see how the necessary elements for the spread of Christian teachings had been created through the intellectual, religious and moral currents, each of which with logical necessity sprang from the social changes at the end of antiquity. The “fullness of time,” as it graphically was called, had arrived. When Christianity in the first centuries of our era spread among those colonies of Jews, scattered throughout the Roman Empire, it found their minds prepared. It gave definite form to those conceptions which had taken hold of the consciousness of the population, particularly the proletariat. And it was not only its religious and moral ideas which met with sympathy, but also its social ideas.

Christianity, in its first and purest form, was a religion for the proletariat, for the poor, suffering and oppressed in society. These were the people to whom Christ spoke. Immediately before his first appearance as a teacher, he read in the synagogue of Nazareth the prophecy of Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, . . . ” (St. Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61:1) In his foreboding the nature of his activity is outlined. And what he later says coincides: “. . . Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.” (St. Luke 6:20–21) “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (St. Matt. 11:28)

It was also the common people that gathered around him and listened to him. His apostles were poor fishermen and artisans, and great was the anger and indignation of the pillars of society, the pharisees and scribes, because “publicans and sinners kept close to him to hear him.” It was just the miserable and despised people who sought refuge with him, and found not only consolation for the soul but also practical defense against those who were hard on them. The story of the woman caught in adultery is in its sublime simplicity the most scathing expression of contempt for the existing moral hypocrisy, and the answer he gave applies as strongly today: “. . . He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” (St. John 8:7)

Thus his message was one of compassion and leniency for the poor and outcast in society; but for the rich he had but hard and threatening words. The rich man suffered grievously in hell, not because he was so very wicked and sinful, but simply because he was rich and enjoyed his wealth, “clad in purple and costly linen and lived every day in magnificence and joy,” while Lazarus slept at his door and ate the crumbs from his table. Again and again is the same conception of wealth expressed. His is an absolute denunciation of any society where there are rich and poor, affluence and want. “. . . woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.” (St. Luke 6:24) “. . . Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. . . . It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (St. Matt. 19:23–24) And when the wealthy man, who has kept all the commandments from his youth, asks what he must further do to inherit eternal life, Jesus answers: “. . . If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. . . . ” (St. Matt. 19:21)

In the proclamations of the disciples the same rejection of all wealth is repeated, and particularly in the James letter the rich are denounced because of the exploitation and suppression to which they subjected the poor: “Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?” (St. James 2:6) [Emphasis added.] “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: [emphasis added] and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.” (St. James 5:1–5)

It was, accordingly, a decided proletarian tendency which dominated Christianity in the first centuries of our era, a tendency which theology of later times only succeeded in misrepresenting by sophistically exercising a most reckless violence against the old traditions. And just as proletarian was the positive social ideal which Christianity proclaimed.

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CHRISTIAN COMMUNISM

It was the communism of property and consumption, the communistic form of society which was the natural expression of the social longings of the ancient proletariat, and which in the first Christian congregations was not only proclaimed but practiced. It was as yet impossible to form a social ideal of productive socialism—the cooperative commonwealth—because the historical conditions for such an order of society were wholly lacking; the consumptive communism, the enjoyment of things in common, became the ideal of the proletarians of those days.

This principle is prominent in the Gospels, and particularly in the “Acts.” He who would follow Christ had to give up all his property, donate it to the congregation, and the congregation lived in a common household, maintained through common ownership. It was not a voluntary matter whether or not one should place his belongings at the disposal of the congregation. On the contrary, it was considered a mortal sin to neglect. Ananias and his wife Sapphira were punished with death because they had withheld part of their wealth for their private benefit (Acts 5). The Christian was to be personally propertyless, and could only be co-sharer of the common possessions. In the “Acts” we find a description of the original Christian congregations, and find them constructed in accordance with the commands of Christ, based upon the ideas of an absolute communistic relation of property and consumption.

“And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” (Acts 2:44–47)

“Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.” (Acts 4:34–35)

It is conceivable how such a communistic society would absorb the great mass of the starved and oppressed proletarians, not only in Palestine, but also throughout the vast Roman Empire. But it will also be seen that its duration, of necessity, would be short. The number of destitute people to be kept satisfied grew rapidly, but the amount of wealth at disposal increased very slowly. Soon the bottom would be reached. At the beginning they rested content with the idea that Christ would soon return and that the end of the world was at hand. But as time went on the difficulties increased. From the letters of the apostles, particularly those of Paul, we receive a vivid impression of the sharp admonitions which were administered in order to obtain necessaries for the support of the poor in the community. Very early, in the course of but a few decades, pure communism disappeared, as in the nature of things it had to, because the class interests which there found expression, those of the proletariat and petty bourgeoisie, had as yet no future before them. It was changed to a decrepit charity for the support of the clergy at the expense of the congregation; to the sacrament of the Lord’s supper as a last remnant of the oldtime meals, in which all participated; here and there also to a monastic life and semi-caricatures of the days of the early Christians.

The wealth which was collected for the community was more and more used for the support of that upper class of ecclesiastics who gradually raised themselves above the rest of Christian society, and the clergy made ever greater demands for personal contributions from the members of the congregation. Thus the old Christian communism was gradually transformed into the medieval, exploiting church. Theology simultaneously became active, explaining away and misinterpreting the expressions and statements of the New Testament regarding wealth and poverty, to rob them of their “salt” and adjust the Christian teachings to suit the ruling class in society.

But still, long after, there were sects trying to carry the program of ancient Christianity into effect. As late as the close of the Middle Ages the old Christian ideals played their role in the class struggle. And even today the accounts given in the “Acts” are condemnatory of the hypocrisies of our time, of the hypocrites who endeavor to show, Bible in hand, the right and justification for private property, whereas no socialist agitator has used stronger language against nor more mercilessly denounced this right than did Christ and his disciples.

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Erich Fromm Seen The Need Of A New Religion To Play A Necessary Part In Humanizing Technology

In his book The Revolution of Hope: Toward A Humanized Technology (1969), Erich Fromm, a renowned social philosopher and psychologist, recognized the need for the development of a new religious system equivalent but superior to the weak and deficient religious systems of today as one of five steps to be taken in order to avert either thermonuclear war or severe human pathology which would be the result if we continue down the same path we're currently on. He said:

“My inten­tion is to discuss the steps which, to me, are the most important ones: (1) Planning which includes the system Man and which is based on norms which follow from the examination of the optimal functioning of the human being. (2) Activation of the individual by methods of grass-roots activity and responsibility, by changing the present methods of alienated bureaucracy into one of humanistic management. (3) Changing of the consumption pattern in the direction of consumption that contributes to Activation and discourages "passivation." (4) The emergence of new forms of psychospiritual orientation and devotion, which are equivalents of the religious systems of the past.”

Erich Fromm clearly saw the problem of the technological singularity during his day and the serious limitations of the scientific mode of thinking which got man into the problem in the first place. He said:

“In the search for scientific truth, man came across knowledge that he could use for the domination of nature. He had tre­mendous success. But in the one-sided emphasis on technique and material consumption, man lost touch with himself, with life. Having lost religious faith and the humanistic values bound up with it, he concentrated on technical and material values and lost the capacity for deep emotional experiences, for the joy and sadness that accompany them. The machine he built became so powerful that it developed its own program, which now determines man's own thinking.”

Fromm asks the most pertinent questions for those who hope the technological singularity can be turned into a blessing for mankind. Are we confronted with a tragic, insolvable dilemma? Must we produce sick people in order to have a healthy economy, or can we use our material resources, our inventions, our com­puters to serve the ends of man? Must individuals be passive and dependent in order to have strong and well-functioning organizations?

It's my contention that a new understanding of both the Old and New Testament of the Bible can provide the basis for the new religion that Fromm sees mankind needs to progress safely while utilizing the potentially dangerous technologies currently being developed. The most important goals of the new religion in my opinion should be:

1) To establish a moneyless society where everything is shared and love for God and neighbor are more important than materialistic pursuits. The future technologies being developed promise a world of ease with unlimited energy and an abundance of the necessaries of life thereby rendering money and private property meaningless and unnecessary. What better way to live during the Millennial Sabbath rest God promises His people than to cease from all work by letting an Artificial Intelligence ("friendly AI")/Robotics due all work and by resting from the stress and strain involved in the accumulation of money and property. During this rest man can focus on interacting with and educating the children, on the arts, on recreation, on what it means to practice true religion during the Millennium, and on attaining immortality after the Millennium (when, finally, "[t]here will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain").

4) To establish a society that no longer kills and eats the meat of animals that move along the ground or fly in the air, and replaces this with the eating of fish which move along the water. Hosea 2:18. By comparing Hosea 4:3 with 2:18, we can see God must of had a very good reason for leaving "fish of the sea" out. It's also noteworthy that some of Jesus' disciples were fishermen, that He fed the masses fish as two of His miracles, and that He caught, served and ate fish after His resurrection. Matthew 4:18-22; 14:16-21; 15:32-38; John 21:5-13; Luke 24:42, 43. Bible scholars have pointed out that fish was the poor man's meat during Christ's time, and today nutritionists say fish is very healthy when uncontaminated by pollutants and raised properly in inland ponds and greenhouses.

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A New Kibbutz For A New World

The Kibbutz movement in the early part of the 20th century greatly aided the Jews in establishing the State of Israel. It started out as a combination of Zionism with Socialism that worked well, for a time, for a people fleeing persecution and oppression who were determined to sacrifice and work hard to make it work. Israel’s Kibbutzim have been called the world’s best example of voluntary Socialism by some.

There’s no reason why a combination of Kibbutz ideas with biblical ideas cannot play a role in aiding mankind in safely adapting to a potentially dangerous high tech future where an egalitarian equality will be absolutely necessary to maintain a peaceful coexistence amongst peoples living out radically extended lifespans.

What really impressed me about Kibbutz life was its lack of crime and how minor offenses were dealt with when discovered. In the book Kibbutz Goshen: An Israeli Commune, by Alison M. Bowes, she points out that:

"The characteristics of kibbutz organization decrease the likelihood that anyone will be brought to the attention of law enforcement agencies. First, the scope for crime on the kibbutz is narrow. There is little money and no banks, there are no deserted places to mug people, no one has access to funds long enough to embezzle them, drug addiction is expensive, etc. Since everyone knows everyone else, secret plotting would be very difficult. Secondly, the kibbutzim are very jealous of their autonomy and reputation. One way to protect this is to deal with possible criminal activities internally and, more often than not, informally. On Goshen, petty thefts, cases of vandalism, minor assaults and a 'peeping Tom' were dealt with internally. The property was returned, the vandalism repaired, the quarrels patched up, and women were warned about the harmless 'peeping Tom' and simply drew the curtains before undressing."

Even though I disagree with the communal childrearing practices of the Kibbutz - which involved too great a degree of separation of parent and child and a lack of biblical instruction - the degree of success in character development is worthy of note. Shmuel Golan, the author of Collective Education in the Kibbutz, says it is:

"... the fact that no delinquency, sexual aberrations or child neglect are to be found within its domain, that the incidence of emotional disturbances is low, that the physical, intellectual and ethical standards of the pupils are commendable, is a source of encouragement and evidence of substantial achievement. It is also our warrant for attempting to present communal education to a wider public."

I believe, however, that even greater success can be achieved when both the parents and the community working together teach the children God's commandments and the teachings of Christ while living communally and sharing everything.

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The Twelve Tribes A Community "Raising Its Children To Create A New Tomorrow"

I’m of the belief and opinion that the Twelve Tribes communities are in the perfect position to merge with the technological singularity and to safely use the new technologies for the betterment of mankind. Their communities are child and family oriented and practice what both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible teach. They live in community in brotherly love and seek to emulate the ways of the early Church in the book of Acts. This is a central tenet of their faith.

The Twelve Tribes should study and educate their people – especially their children – about the singularity and discuss possible ways in which they would use highly advanced and sophisticated forms of artificial intelligence to advance the communal sharing way of life and to educate the children in the ways of God as the Scriptures instruct. After this they could educate the public and other communal groups through their ministry and publications on what needs to be done.

The Twelve Tribes are not technophobes. They use computers and cell phones within their communities and as a part of their ministry. However, they do not watch television or allow the children to play computer games or use the Internet for entertainment purposes. They consider fantasy and violent entertainment to be harmful to the moral development of the children the same as the behavioral scientists who conduct research in this area.

Restoration: The Limitations of Technology. This article published in World News & Prophecy points out that "[a]s people become dependent on scientific and technical achievements to the exclusion of the true spiritual values, we are in danger of creating a world without God."

Can Science Give Us Eternal Life? This article published in The Good News: A Magazine of Understanding points out that "[a]ny attempt to gain eternal life apart from the plan of God is doomed to fail."

The February 21, 2011 Time magazine frontcover article entitled "2045 The Year Man Becomes Immortal", by Lev Grossman, is about the life and ideas of Ray Kurzweil. Kurzweil believes the singularity will occur in 2045 and will fill force a new hybrid of man and machines.http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2048138,00.html

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Videos of Interest

This video shows how the Bushmen of the Kalahari were able to live communally without private property and without the need of punitive law enforcement and punitive child discipline.

Living Forever: The Longevity Revolution shows the great potential for radical life extension and the need for the guiding ethos of a new religion to support its development and assist the living out of these greatly extended lifespans.

In this video Ray Kurzweil is speaking to people at the Google corporation while wearing his tiny unicorn tie thereby showing the desperate need for a religious and spiritual component to the singularity that is rational and reasonable. Dr. Kurzweil's predictions and work on solar energy, as mentioned in the video, are consistent with Old Testament Bible prophecy (Malachi 4:1-2). The truly religious should support and encourage him in this direction rather than angrily denouncing him as a "crackpot" and strengthening the atheist viewpoint that the religious are irrational and delusional. I do strongly agree with the man who said it's our job to know God, not to make him.

This video is about the persecution of the Twelve Tribes who currently provide the best example of Christian Communism in action today.

In this video one woman mentions the need for a "spirituality" dimension to the singularity movement.

The Sociologist in this video (at 11 minutes and 52 seconds into the video) points out that new religions, such as the Twelve Tribes, are often persecuted, but do serve a purpose and do enrich our culture.

Video mentions that gold is doing well.

This video paints us as an overly indulgent society with servants or slaves living outside the country. This reminds me of James 5:4-5. It's interesting to note that Damon Vickers appeared on the Alex Jones show. He says it's the "market forces" that are the problem. At the very end of video it mentions the "breakout in gold."

The economic expert in this video says that nations are trading into gold and moving away from the US dollar. I suspect this will fuel cries to establish a gold backed global currency as the solution to the crisis thereby creating the conditions for the fruitless hording of gold and silver in the end times as prophesied in Ezekiel 7:19; James 5:1-3.

This is the first of a four part video. I like the part where Dr. Kurzweil says what we do with information technology is not inevitable and the future has not been written already.

My question is could virtual reality environments like "Second Life" mentioned in the video below be used to teach people what it would be like to live communally according to the teachings of Jesus Christ and according to the early Church model described in the book of Acts? May be something like this could be used to prepare people for the necessary transition once they decide they really want to do it.

Even though Ray Kurzweil is performing the service of a prophet somewhat, as mentioned in the video, this is in no way comparable to God's prophets who spoke the very words of God. They prophesied, with accuracy, things to come thousands of years into the future. Dr. Kurzweil's predictions based on mathematical formulas and science history are very short term in comparison. Any suggestion that man will conquer death and achieve immortality or resurrect the dead within the next hundred years or so is not accurate. The book of Revelation clearly sets this event after the Messiah's Millennial reign when God the Father makes His home on earth with men. See Revelation 20:1-15; 21:1-4. However, Bible prophecy indicates substantially increased lifespans for those who survive into the Millennium. Isaiah 65:20, 22 shows that most will live past a hundred and that infant mortality will be halted as the result of successful disease prevention and as adequate nutrition and child care are fully understood.

Building Gods is an excellent video about the many problems and dangers of building superior to human artificial intelligence. I believe the wisest course of action is to program all Artificial Intelligence systems to serve both God and man and to be obedient to God's Commandments and the teachings of Jesus Christ. After being properly programmed, they could be set about the task of helping man restore Garden of Eden like conditions on earth and restoring the true practices of the early Church in the book of Acts. What more noble of a mission could AI be given than this?

I like the part in this video where Ray Kurzweil mentions his work in solar energy and says he believes global warming is occuring but says it's "primarily" the other forms of pollution caused by fossil fuels as well as its geopolitical effects that are of concern to him. Kurzweil predicts that in 20 years solar will supply all the world's energy needs.